Anxiety as a marker of severity in acute mania

Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 05/25/2012GonzalezPinto A et al. –

An association of anxiety symptoms with greater severity in acute mania was demonstrated. The close relationship between anxiety and manic symptoms highlights the need for greater clinical attention to anxiety in this population.

Methods

Observational, cross-sectional multicentre study.

Anxiety was measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS).

Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed using the HARS score as the dependent variable.

Results

Two hundred and forty-two patients admitted with a diagnosis of acute manic episode according to DSM-IV TR criteria and a Young Mania Rating Scale >20 were analysed.